Avedis Zildjian Company
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- Zildjian redirects here. For other uses, see Zildjian (disambiguation).
| Avedis Zildjian Company | |
|---|---|
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| Type | Private |
| Founded | 1623 (Present aged at 385 years) |
| Headquarters | Norwell, Massachusetts, United States |
| Key people | Avedis Zildjian, Founder Armand Zildjian Craigie Zildjian, Current CEO Debbie Zildjian |
| Industry | Cymbal manufacturer |
| Website | Official website |
The Avedis Zildjian Company is a cymbal and gong manufacturer founded in Istanbul, Turkey. It is the world's largest manufacturers of cymbals (based upon sales figured from 2007 Music Trades Magazine (http://www.musictrades.com/)), along with Paiste, Meinl and Sabian.
At nearly 400 years old, Zildjian remains one of the oldest operating companies in the world and is the oldest family-run business in America (Family Business Magazine (http://www.familybusinessmagazine.com/oldestcos.html"))
They also sell drum-related accessories, such as drum sticks.
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[edit] History
The first Zildjian cymbals were created in 1623 in Istanbul by an Armenian man named Avedis Zildjian, who, while looking for a way to turn base metal into gold, created an alloy combining tin, copper, and silver into a sheet of metal that could make musical sounds without shattering. Avedis was given the name of Zildjian (Zilciyân) by The Sultan, from the Turkish (zil - cymbal, dji - maker-seller, ian - son of, also a plural suffix in Armenian), and began an industry in 1623, the details of whose main product remained secret for generations. It became family tradition that only the company's heirs would know the manufacturing process.
The Zildjian Company moved from manufacturing noisemakers to frighten the enemies of the Ottoman Empire to manufacturing its cymbals as musical instruments in the 19th century. In 1908, Avedis Zildjian III migrated to Boston. In 1923, the Turkish Republic was established and the name of Constantinople was officially changed to Istanbul, resulting in the change of the company's name from K. Zildjian Constantinople to K. Zildjian Istanbul. In around 1926, Aram Zildjian signed an exclusive American distribution agreement for K. Zildjian cymbals with Gretsch.
Around 1928, Avedis III and Aram Zildjian began manufacturing cymbals in Quincy, Massachusetts, and the Avedis Zildjian Co. was formed in 1929, the same year that the Great Depression began, in competition with the K. Zildjian company in Turkey. Avedis made many innovations in cymbals that are still around today; he was the first to develop drum-set cymbals, and gave cymbals names such as ride, crash, splash, and hi-hat. Jazz drummers such as Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich, Louie Bellson, Shelly Manne, Cozy Cole, and Papa Jo Jones all used Avedis Zildjian cymbals.
Avedis III's son Armand Zildjian, also known as the "Father of Artist Relations," also began hand-selecting cymbals for all the top drummers. It was his close personal relationships with all the top drummers and percussionists of the day which Zildjian still bases its Artist Relations department on. In 1968, the K. Zildjian Co. and all European trademarks were bought back on behalf of the Avedis Zildjian Co. Also in 1968, Avedis split production into two separate operations, opening the Azco factory in Meductic, New Brunswick, Canada.
From 1968 to 1970, the Azco factory produced Zilco cymbals. There were two types of Zilco: one was a thin rolling produced without any hammering at all, which cut costs. At about this time in the Azco factory, the modern process for pressing cymbals into shape came about. Before this it was done by bumping with the Quincy drop hammer.
In 1970, Zildjian needed all their production capabilities at Azco for their regular Zildjian line, so the factory in Quincy (the then location of Zildjian) would send up castings to be finished into cymbals at Azco.
In 1975, Zildjian began making K. Zildjian cymbals at the Azco plant. This was an interesting time for the Zildjian clan because it was the first time that K. Zildjian Istanbul and the Avedis Zildjian Company had worked together to make the same Zildjian cymbals after years of competing with each other. These were made until 1979.
In early 1977, Armand Zildjian was appointed President of the Avedis Zildjian Company by his father. Soon after, Robert Zildjian split from the company amidst conflict with his brother, Armand Zildjian. Shortly thereafter, in 1981, Robert started making Sabian cymbals in the Meductic Azco factory.
After taking over in 1981, Armand was awarded a number of honors during his 65-year career. In 1988, he received an Honorary Doctorate from Berklee College of Music. In 1994, he was inducted into the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame. He was also one of the few manufacturers to be honored at the "Rock Walk" on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, and in 2002 was presented with the Modern Drummer Editor's Achievement Award. In keeping with tradition, Armand passed The Zildjian Secret Alloy to his daughters, Craigie and Debbie (14th generation), both of whom continue to run the family business from the current factory in Norwell, MA.
Craigie is the first female CEO in Zildjian's history and Debbie is the Vice President of Human Resources. They became the first women to fully understand the Zildjian Secret Alloy.
Both Craigie and Debbie's daughters (the 15th generation of Zildjian's) are also an intricate part of the family business. Debbie's daughter Cady Bickford Zildjian joined the company in 2007 and is currently the New Business Development Coordinator (Cady also just welcomed the 16th generation of Zildjian's with the birth of her first daughter). Her other daughter Emily completed a two-year cymbal apprenticeship where she followed in her grandfather's footsteps learning the delicate process of how to make Zildjian cymbals. While Craigie's daughter Samantha is finishing her Bachelors Degree, she currently interns at Zildjian assisting with New Business Development.
Other than cymbals, the Avedis Zildjian Company also produces products such as drum sticks and other drum accessories. The Artist Series drum sticks allow these endorsers to personalize their own drum sticks, and these sticks are sold to the public.
The Avedis Zildjian Company continues to produce cymbals today in Norwell, Massachusetts.
[edit] Current cymbal products
[edit] Sheet Bronze Cymbal lines
- ZBT - The lowest-end of Zildjian sheet bronze cymbals. The ZBT alloy contains 92% Copper, 8% Tin and comes in a Brilliant finish. Its Sabian counterpart is the B8 line.
- ZXT - Zildjian's mid-level sheet bronze cymbals. The ZXT alloy contains 92% Copper, 8% Tin and comes in a Brilliant finish. Its Sabian counterpart is the B8 Pro line.
- ZHT - The highest-end of Zildjian sheet bronze cymbals. The ZHT alloy contains 88% Copper, 12% Tin and comes in a Traditional finish. Its Sabian counterpart is the Xs20 line.
[edit] Cast Bronze Cymbal lines
- FX - Special effects cymbals which includes the Oriental and Azuka lines, as well as sound effects such as Zil-Bels, finger cymbals, and others. The FX series comes in both Traditional and Brilliant finishes.
- Z Custom - Cast bronze cymbals made specifically for heavy music. Z customs have a particularly heavy weight, which make them very loud and bright. The Z Custom alloy contains 80% Copper, 20% Tin, traces of Silver and comes in a Brilliant Finish.
- A Zildjian - The original line of Avedis Zildjian cast bronze cymbals. The A Zildjian alloy contains 80% Copper, 20% Tin, traces of Silver and comes in both Traditional and Brilliant finishes. In 2007, the Armand Zildjian line was introduced as a sub-series of the A Zildjian. Armand Zildjians are made from the same alloy as regular A Zildjians, but are made with a slightly lower profile to approximate the classic cymbal sounds of the late 1960s. Its Sabian counterpart is the AA series.
- A Custom - Cast bronze cymbals developed with help from Vinnie Colaiuta. Based on the original A Zildjians, A Customs have a particularly medium-thin, thin weight making them very responsive and bright. The A Custom alloy contains 80% Copper, 20% Tin, traces of Silver and comes in a Brilliant finish. Its Sabian counterpart is the AAX series.
- K Zildjian - Cast bronze cymbals which stem from Kerope Zildjian's original hand hammered line. The hammering on the K Zildjians make them dark and dry. The K Zildjian alloy contains 80% Copper, 20% Tin, traces of Silver and comes in both Traditional and Brilliant finishes. Its Sabian counterpart is the HH series.
- K Custom - Cast bronze cymbals based on the original K Zildjians, but are made with very complex hammering techniques. K Customs are dry and complex, making them popular among jazz drummers. The K Custom alloy contains 80% Copper, 20% Tin, traces of Silver and comes in both Traditional and Brilliant finishes. Its Sabian counterpart is the HHX series.
[edit] Discontinued cymbal products
[edit] Sheet Bronze Cymbal Lines
- Amir/Amir II (mid 1980s) - Moderate/higher-end sheet bronze cymbals when compared to Zildjian's present-day lines. Amirs were released alongside the Impulse line.
- Scimitar/Scimitar Bronze (early 1990s) - Scimitars replaced Amir line.
- Edge/Edge Plus (1990s) - Higher-end sheet bronze cymbals; preceded ZXTs.
- ZBT Plus (early 2000s) - Released alongside ZBT, ZBTs and ZBT Pluses replaced the Scimitar line. ZBT Pluses were discontinued shortly after Edge was replaced by ZXT.
- ZXT Titanium (2003-2006) - Silver colored cymbals made without any actual titanium in the alloy, rather there was titanium plating. ZXT Titaniums were discontinued shortly before ZHTs entered production.
[edit] Cast Bronze Cymbal lines
- Impulse (1982 - 1986) - Cast bronze cymbals designed for hard rock. Impulses were replaced by the original Z Zildjian line, several years later.
- Z Zildjian (1986 - 1994) - Heavy, unlathed cymbals designed for heavy metal and punk. Replaced in 1994 by the current Z Custom series.
- Avedis Platinum (1990s) - A Zildjians with silver-colored coating and blue logo.
- Re-Mix (late 1990s) - Cast bronze cymbals developed with help from Zach Danziger. Re-Mixes were designed for live performing of Jungle / Drum and Bass and other electronic styles. Only the ride and effects cymbals exist today as the A Zildjian Breakbeat Ride and the A Custom EFX, respectively.
[edit] Current Drum Stick Products
Zildjian also manufactures a variety of drums sticks, mallets, and brushes. Zildjian offers the standard sizes of drum sticks: 7A, 5A, 5B, 2B and Rock.
- DIP - Drum sticks with a coating which makes them easier to grip.
- Anti-Vibe - Drum sticks made with patented technology to reduce unwanted vibrations.
- Hickory - Basic drum sticks made of 100% hickory.
- Artist Series - Drum sticks designed by famous drummers in which the artists place their signature on the sticks.
- Maple Series - New to the Zildjian Drumstick line. Maple is lighter than hickory and allows for a larger diameter stick without the weight of a hickory stick.
- Brushes & Specialty Sticks - new and innovative elements to brushes and mallets.
